EARS 64 Geophysics
Geological methods (mapping and analysis of samples collected at the earth's surface) tell us much about processes occurring near the earth's surface, but very little about deeper parts of the earth. Almost all surface rocks come from depths of no more than a few tens of kilometers, yet 99% of the Earth is deeper than that! How can we learn about parts of the Earth to which there is no hope of ever traveling and from which we have no samples? Geophysics gives us the tools. In this course we will use the principles of gravity, magnetism, seismology, and heat transfer to "journey to the center of the Earth." Laboratory sessions will be focused more locally; we will collect geophysical data from the Hanover area and interpret them to learn about the rocks hidden below the Earth's surface.